Anglo-Japanese Alliance

Anglo-Japanese Alliance, (1902–23), alliance that bound Britain and Japan to assist one another in safeguarding their respective interests in China and Korea. Directed against Russian expansionism in the Far East, it was a cornerstone of British and Japanese policy in Asia until after World War I.

The alliance served Japan in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05) by discouraging France, Russia’s European ally, from entering the war on the Russian side. It was renewed in 1905 and again in 1911 after Japan’s annexation of Korea. On the basis of its tie with Britain, Japan participated in World War I on the side of ... (100 of 194 words)